Sports

Longtime hockey volunteer presented with Lakers’ award

Stratford’s Pete Young (left), president of the Huron-Perth ‘AAA’ Lakers, presents Mitchell’s Kevin Nicholson with the John O’Keefe memorial award for outstanding volunteer work with the hockey organization. KEVIN BOWMAN PHOTO

For more than half of its 20-year existence, Mitchell’s Kevin Nicholson has been a part of the Huron-Perth ‘AAA’ Lakers hockey organization.

Whether it be as assistant coach, trainer, manager, president or head coach – as his current title suggests with the major atoms this upcoming season – Nicholson has been a part of the program he truly believes in.

For that longtime service, Nicholson was presented April 5 with the John O'Keefe Memorial Award which is presented annually to an individual in the Huron-Perth organization who has provided outstanding volunteer work with Lakers’ teams and/or the association.

Nicholson just finished his 11th season with the Lakers, beginning as a trainer on his son Wyatt’s ’98 team. Another former O’Keefe award winner - Jack Chaffe, also of Mitchell - got Nicholson involved on the executive end and over the years he has also been the Alliance league representative with the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) as well as the Lakers’ head of hockey operations. He’s been president for a total of five-and-a-half years during his tenure.

“I think it’s a great program,” he said, alluding to the amount of practice time the players receive every season, usually one-and-a-half hours twice a week.

“Ice time is the big thing in my mind, plus you get to play with some of the best kids in the area, and against other larger centers’ best players,” he continued. “Ever since I’ve been involved it’s been about the development of the kids.”

Nicholson admits he “fell into” the head coaching job of the 2007 minor atoms this past season, his son Hayden’s team, as no other candidate was interested. He will continue as head bench boss this year for the same team in major atom, with tryouts currently underway.

Nicholson said his flexible family life, with wife Michele sharing the load; as well as his place of employment, Thompsons in Mitchell, where he is operations supervisor, makes it easier to juggle his Lakers’ responsibilities.

“My first boss Ralph Currie, his son played Lakers, so he knew the program and said ‘it’s good, take a look at it if you get the opportunity’ and we did,” he said.